


Against The Odds

by 852_Prospect_Archivist



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: M/M, None - Freeform, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-10
Updated: 2013-05-10
Packaged: 2017-12-11 07:40:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/795563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/852_Prospect_Archivist/pseuds/852_Prospect_Archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jim and Blair receive some attention.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Against The Odds

## Against The Odds

by OCONN

I wrote this story some years back after looking through "Men Together." Louisa's post on Senad remeinded me that it was lurking on my hard drive. Thanks :>)   


Any events after Blair's revival at the fountain didn't happen. Also, this was written well before the events of 9-11.   
Dr. Sandburg and Captain Elllison's quotes are borrowed from the book.

* * *

Blair looked up from his corner of the sofa where he'd been cocooned all afternoon. Jim had only arrived about fifteen minutes earlier and after hanging up his coat and a few prolonged kisses he'd gone back to the kitchen and now rifling through the mail. His confused "What the hell is this?" caught Blair's attention. 

"What's up, Jim?" 

"Nothing really. Just a letter from a publishing company. Something about a book they're doing and they wondered if we could get in touch with them. He tossed the letter into the trash and moved onto the next envelope. 

Blair's interest was piqued, however. He came over and picked up the discarded letter. The letterhead said it was from Bancroft-Jornt Publishing. He read through the text and looked across the table at Jim. After a long moment and careful consideration, he sat down and said, "I think we should do it." 

His lover's head jerked up and Blair almost laughed at the look on his face. It was the look he got when Jim knew the idea was a good one but still didn't like it. 

"What on earth for?" 

"Well, it says that the book is a celebration of courage." 

Jim stood up and walked over to the coffee pot and refilled his cup. "Sandburg, I don't want to be on display." 

"Jim, our whole life together has been on display in one way or another. This is all about passing through the fire and surviving. That's us, love." 

Jim looked up expecting to see that puppy dog look that always made him fold. But instead he saw the calm, assuredness of the wise and gentle love of his life. Jim pulled a chair close in front of Blair, knees touching and took his hands in his. 

"You really want to do this, baby?" Jim asked. 

"Jim, we've worked long and hard to get where we are now. Let's talk to them, at least." 

Jim watched his lover for several moments, taking in the expression of pride showing in his eyes and made his decision. 

"OK, if they're being straight, we'll do it. You deserve this." 

Blair's hand came up to cup Jim's cheek. "Oh, Jim. When will you ever learn? There is no me or you. There's only us." 

"I love you, Blair," Jim whispered, turning to place a kiss in his lover's palm. 

"I know. You always have." 

* * *

Jim made the call and arranged for them to fly out and visit the publisher. One week later, they sat in the editor's office and listened as he pitched them his ideas. 

"The book is called Against The Odds. It's along the lines of "Sisters" and "Fathers and Daughters." We wanted to publish images of people who have struggled and come through on top." He paused as his assistant buzzed in. 

"Mr. Clandt? Mark is on his way. He had a little trouble down stairs and will be right up." 

"Thanks, Chuck. Send him in when he gets here." 

"Coffee or tea, gentlemen?" he offered. 

Jim declined, but Blair accepted the offer of coffee. 

"Thank you, Mr. Clandt," he said when a warm cup was placed in front of him. 

"Please, it's Kevin. As I was saying," he continued after Blair repeated his name. "The book will be a tribute to courage and a celebration of ordinary people who have the courage to live every day as if it were their last." 

"What kind of people are involved in this?" Jim asked. 

"Can we meet them?" Blair added. Jim smiled at his enthusiasm. His lover loved people and their stories. 

"Well, I'll see what I can arrange if you're really interested. But I can give you some examples. We have young lady who has over come years of bone cancer treatments and therapy and is now on her way to being a world class gymnast. There's a family from the Midwest who lost everything in the floods few years back and have managed to put together a wonderful life. We also have a father and daughter who were reunited after the child was kidnapped and hidden in a foreign country for several years. There are others, but we don't have time to go into all of them. As I hope you can see, the stories are varied and the people survivors. From what I've learned about you, you would be a perfect fit." 

"What have you learned?" Blair asked, intercepting Jim's question when he saw the frown skitter across his face. He knew the man was on alert now. Ellison was always protective of their life together and immediately suspicious of anyone who threatened it. He gave Jim a gentle squeeze of his hand and felt the man relax. Jim nodded, showing that he knew Blair was handling the situation, that he trusted his judgment. 

Kevin watched the exchange and smiled warmly. "I know that you've been together for twelve years. You were 'married' eight years ago, one year after you, Dr. Sandburg almost died. You've faced many uphill battles. Your friends and co-workers are supportive of you, your record is one of the best in the police department's history, you 'took on city hall' and won a few rights for domestic partners, and you survived the media circus and medical and governmental hurricane surrounding Captain Ellison's abilities. You've managed to stayed together and build your lives around each other, yet you live everyday as if you're nothing special." 

Jim shrugged. "We aren't, Mr. Clandt. We're just two guys who are very much in love. We do our jobs as best we can and go home together at the end of the day." Blair nodded his agreement. 

The editor had to try hard to stifle a laugh. These two didn't understand what all the fuss was about. They really believed they were just guys, nothing more special than the lady next door or the kids down the block or the governor of Washington. And that was what Mr. Clandt saw in this special pair. 

Their conversation was interrupted when the door opened and a young man in his mid twenties rushed in. He promptly deposited himself in the nearest chair with a rather loud "whew!" 

"Let me guess, " Kevin laughed. "The Rasch twins?" 

"They're going to give me gray hair way before my time." The man rubbed his face with his hands for a few seconds before he remembered why he was there. "Oh, geez. I'm sorry!" He looked very embarrassed and quickly stood up. Offering his hand to Jim then Blair, he introduce himself. "I'm Mark." 

While the three men shook hands, Kevin made the formal introductions. "Captain Jim Ellison," he said motioning to Jim. "And Dr. Blair Sandburg. Mark Proctor. He's our photographer on this project. Please everyone, have a seat. Mark?" Kevin indicated that the young man should have his say. 

"What I'll be doing is sitting in on the interview, then we'll set up a separate time for the photo session. I'd like to scope out locations for the shots we'll use for your article. If you have any preferences, just let me know so I can try them out. The prints will be in black and white, of course, but they can be as formal or informal as you like. Whatever works." 

The guy fairly bounced in his seat, reminding Jim of his lover in the early days, just after they met. His love of his craft was evident in his whole demeanor. Working with him wouldn't be tough, a pleasure probably. 

Mark jumped as his beeper went off and a loud groan told everyone that he was on his way out again. "It says 911. The twins must have gotten the better of Tony. I told him to let Sabine handle the girls. She's the best." With that the guy was gone, leaving Jim laughing in his wake. 

"Sorry, Kevin. It's just that he reminds me of Blair when he was younger. The kid had more energy than one person should be allowed. Still does somedays." Blair blushed a bit, but recovered quickly. 

"I know what you mean. Mark needs to be forced to stay put every once in a while. And from the way you are hanging on to Blair, I'd say its still true for him too." 

"Oh yeah. Life is way too short to sit still." Blair wriggled his eyebrows and shifted in his seat. 

Kevin laughed and Jim rolled his eyes. "OK Chief, you've made you point. Mr. Clandt, it's been a pleasure talking to you. Give us a call and let us know when you want to come out." 

"Great! I'm glad you've decided to be a part of this. You'll be a welcome addition to the book." 

They shook hands once again and then Blair and Jim left. 

* * *

Three weeks later, Mark and the writer, arrived at the loft to begin the interview. The photographer introduced Mrs. Kathy Beck to the men and then began to wander around. "It's just Kathy. This is such a great place! Goodness, what a view. You can see all the way across the bay." 

Mark let out a low whistle of approval when he looked around the loft. "Hey guys, if it's OK with you, I think we'll use your place for the shoot. It's perfect and it's definitely you." 

"Thanks," Blair replied. 

"Please, sit down." Jim motioned them to the couch. "Would anyone like coffee? I have a steady supply of just about any flavor you could want." 

"We have a friend who likes to try new blends," Blair added by way of explanation. "He passes the rejects on to Jim. Now if tea is your thing..." 

Kathy smiled and said, "Tea would be great. Anything you want would be fine. Surprise me." 

Jim groaned as Blair gave him a triumphant look and headed for the kitchen. "That might not have been such a good idea, Kathy. He's got stuff in there I don't even like to think about." 

"Be nice, Mine." Blair's warning growl from the kitchen sent shivers through Jim, but he covered nicely. He hadn't heard his lover talk like that since...oh...three hours ago when they woke up and it sent the blood straight to his groin. 

Blair saw the look in his eyes that said he would pay for that later and turned away from their guest. He whispered "I'm counting on it." 

Kathy looked at Mark and shifted in her seat. She decided the temperature was definitely rising and it was time to get on with this before they were shooed out the door. 

"OK," she began. "Tell me about yourself, Jim. You were in the army?" 

"Yes, I was a Ranger." 

Kathy continued her interview with Jim and after a few minutes, Blair appeared with their tea. After giving Kathy her cup, he went back to the sofa and handed Jim some coffee. He sat next to his lover and listened as Jim retold the story of how he was rescued from the jungle and his life leading up to the day he met Blair. 

* * *

Several Months later 

"Ellison." 

"Hey, love." 

"Hi there. What's up?" 

"Well, I just got home and I checked the mail and guess what came?" 

"Is it the book?" 

"Well, the label is from the publisher. I can open it up and take a look." 

"Don't you dare! I'll be home in an hour and that package better be in mint condition." 

"But Jim..." 

"No peeking, Sandburg." 

"Fine. But in case you can't tell, I'm letting you know that I'm pouting." 

"Well, don't waste that puppy dog look on the phone. It doesn't care." 

"Jerk." 

"Thank you. See you soon." 

"Love you, too, Ellison." 

Exactly one hour later, Jim entered the loft and inhaled deeply. Blair had cooked dinner. God how he loved the smell of dinner, freshly baked biscuits, and a warm fire. Smelled like home, like love. 

"Hi Jim," Blair greeted as he came up for a quick kiss. "Hungry?" 

"Hmm," Jim moaned as he pulled his lover into a tight embrace. "I missed you today. And yes, I'm hungry. Starved." 

"Great! The sooner we eat, the sooner we can open that package," Blair said as he disentangled himself from Jim's grip and turned toward the kitchen. 

"Blair?" Jim asked, sounding a bit lost. 

Blair turned back with an evil grin. "Gotcha! Of course I missed you. Every second, Mine." 

Jim pulled him back and nuzzled his neck. 

"Jim." 

"Yes?" 

"Jim, dinner is getting cold." 

"Right. Dinner," he mumbled before pulling away. "OK, dinner, then the book. Sound good?" 

"Sounds perfect." 

After dinner, they snuggled into the couch with a glass of wine. Blair ripped open the box and pulled out the book they'd been waiting for. He flipped through the pages until he found their piece and began to read aloud. 

Blair Sandburg lied his way into Jim Ellison's life. 

"Literally," laughs the newly appointed Captain of the Major Crimes division of the Cascade Police Department in Washington State. 

"Man, come on, Jim," pleads the embarrassed Dr. Sandburg, Professor of Anthropology, who teaches at Rainier University. "Hey, he needed help and I knew I was the only one who could give him what he needed." 

"He was very sure of himself." 

"No way. I knew he wouldn't listen to a lowly, long-haired, grad student, so I borrowed...OK stole," he amends after another laugh from Jim. "I stole his doctor's name tag, grabbed a lab coat, and barged my way in." 

Captain Ellison has what has been termed as hyperactive senses, meaning his five senses are highly acute, and that just happened to be the subject of Dr. Sandburg's doctoral thesis. Ellison had no idea what was happening with his senses and only Sandburg knew how to help. 

These abilities are useful in his job, but without control of them, he could be put in danger at unexpected and undesirable moments. He needed the anthropologist with him to watch his back. 

"He's the Shaman," Ellison says matter-of-factly and with pride. 

Together they managed to convince Ellison's department that Sandburg was writing his thesis on closed social structures, like police departments and they became partners. 

"It was hard from the beginning," Jim reflects, his hand dropping from it's perch on the back of the sofa to grasp his life partner's. "I was closed off and used to having things my way. What I didn't want to admit was just how much I needed Blair's help. He tagged along behind me on my cases and was always coming up with some off the wall idea to get me back on line. Even though I was his thesis subject, he basically put his academic life on hold to work with me. I regret to say I didn't always treat him very well and I rarely said thank you." 

Unfortunately, following Detective Ellison around all day exposed Sandburg to dangers he would never have faced otherwise: like getting his apartment blown up by drug dealers one month after they met. 

"He begged me to let him stay for a week and I just never held him to it," Jim says of their early living arrangements. 

"I wanted stability and to be a part of something permanent," adds Blair. "Believe it or not, that's exactly what he gave me. 

The statement covers more than just the comfortable surroundings contained within their Westside loft, which is a surprisingly pleasant blend of Outdoor Rustic and Artifact Storage. It is a testament to their ability to overcome both social prejudice and the dangers of daily life as a cop. 

Dr. Sandburg has been shot, held hostage, kidnapped, and drugged since he met his life partner. They've been together for twelve years, but it took near tragedy to recognize their relationship for what it really was. Three years after they began working together, Blair was found lying face down in a fountain, the victim of yet another crazed criminal. The paramedics declared him dead, but Jim refused to let him go and tried to revive him on his own. Jim remembers what happened next. 

"After the paramedics gave up, I couldn't handle it. I held his face in my hands and tried to will him back to life. He finally opened his eyes and looked straight through to my soul. He whispered 'For you'. From that moment on, no matter what happened, I never let him go." 

Not all of their suffering has been at the hands of criminals. "Being a gay cop wasn't exactly on the department's list of admirable qualities. We've had our share of snide remarks, threats, and discrimination. We just took it one day at a time, one hour, one minute at a time. We learned not to give up, to just dig in and do what we had to." 

Dr. Sandburg adds, "You know, society has a penchant for ignorance and intolerance. But love doesn't require anyone's stamp of approval in order to exist. Through hard work and commitment it'll thrive no matter what the world says." 

Two photographs taken at the loft accompanied the article. 

The first was by far their favorite and they were glad the editors had chosen it. The photo was taken from the side and showed them in the kitchen. Jim held Blair piggyback with his butt resting on top of the island as Jim leaned against it. Jim held Blair's legs and his arms were draped around Jim's neck, hands clasped together over his chest. Jim's legs were crossed at the ankles. Both men were wearing jeans but were barefoot. Jim wore his heavy dark gray sweater, Blair wore a flannel shirt over a thermal T-shirt. The flannel was unbuttoned, leaving the edge nearest the camera to drape over Jim's hip. His hair was loose and he wore his glasses. They were looking at the camera and laughing. 

The second was out on the balcony. They stood leaning against the wall, back to chest with Blair in front. His hands were holding Jim's arm, which stretched across Blair's chest and rested on his shoulder. Jim's other hand could barely be seen as it tangled in the curls that the slight breeze gently lifted toward his face. The setting sun cast a soft glow across them as they looked out over the city. Blair's legs were crossed at the ankles, Jim's were spread slightly so that his lover rested in the space they created. They looked at peace and one with the world. 

"This is so great Jim," Blair said quietly, the atmosphere of the second photograph gently permeating the air around them. 

"Yes, Love, it is. I'm glad we did it." 

"Me too, Mine. Thank you." 

"For you, Blair. Always, only for you." 

* * *

End Against The Odds by OCONN: j804gdt@earthlink.net

Author and story notes above.

  
Disclaimer: _The Sentinel_ is owned etc. by Pet Fly, Inc. These pages and the stories on them are not meant to infringe on, nor are they endorsed by, Pet Fly, Inc. and Paramount. 


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